The Long Read | What It's Really Like to Work for Andy Burnham

By Elsie Blundell MP

Ever since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister, one question seems to come up time and again: what is it actually like to work for him?

Having previously worked as a Transport Planner at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), I can offer a perspective based on first-hand experience.

Many people will remember Andy from his time as a Cabinet Minister, but the leader arriving in Downing Street is not the same politician. Leading Greater Manchester for almost a decade has given him something few modern Prime Ministers have possessed before taking office – extensive experience of executive leadership, delivering complex programmes and managing large public organisations.

That experience has changed him, and, in my view, made him a better leader.

Throughout my time at TfGM, one principle consistently shaped everything Andy did: people came first.

It is why he remains such a popular figure across Greater Manchester. Whether responding to the challenges of the pandemic, reforming skills and technical education or transforming public transport, people believed his decisions were driven by one simple objective – improving the lives of those who live and work here.

In politics, we have another word for that.

Delivery.

Andy was never a distant figure operating from an office. He regularly visited staff across the organisation, speaking directly to teams, reminding us why our work mattered and reinforcing the importance of the mission we were all part of.

Those visits genuinely made a difference.

They created a culture where people felt valued and proud of the work they were doing because they knew it was contributing to something much bigger than themselves.

Perhaps most importantly, Andy encouraged people to challenge convention.

Innovation wasn't something to be feared—it was something to be embraced if it helped deliver better outcomes for Greater Manchester.

That mindset flowed through the organisation.

The results speak for themselves.

Bus franchising returned public control to the network.

The Bee Network has become one of the UK's most ambitious integrated transport systems.

Metrolink has continued to expand.

Northern Powerhouse Rail has remained firmly on the political agenda.

Public transport fares have been kept as affordable as possible despite enormous financial pressures.

Greater Manchester has achieved all of this despite receiving nowhere near the level of long-term transport investment enjoyed by London over many decades.

That progress did not happen by accident.

It happened because there was clear leadership, a willingness to take difficult decisions and a relentless focus on delivery.

Of course, Greater Manchester already possessed enormous strengths.

Its history of innovation, industrial achievement and civic pride provided strong foundations.

But history alone does not create success.

Andy understood how to harness those strengths by bringing people together, empowering his teams and creating an environment where ambitious ideas could become reality.

That is where many of the ideas now entering national politics have been developed.

Concepts such as community wealth building, the "Manchester model" of public service reform and a more collaborative approach to local government have all emerged from an administration focused on adding value rather than simply managing decline.

That, I believe, is what Andy Burnham now brings to Downing Street.

He arrives not simply as a politician, but as someone who has spent years leading one of the country's largest regional administrations, balancing budgets, delivering infrastructure, managing crises and working across public and private sectors.

Few Prime Ministers have entered office with that breadth of executive experience.

One moment from his final day in Greater Manchester perhaps says more than anything else.

Before travelling to Westminster, Andy took the time to visit his former colleagues at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Transport for Greater Manchester to thank them and say goodbye.

It was a simple gesture, but one that reflected how he has always viewed leadership.

People matter.

Teams matter.

And above all else, delivery matters.

If he can instil that same culture throughout Whitehall and the wider Civil Service, then the impact could extend far beyond Greater Manchester.

Because the lesson from working with Andy Burnham is surprisingly simple.

Leadership isn't about making announcements.

It's about creating an environment where people are empowered to deliver them.